B Smyth Cup - Junior 7 A Side Cup

Traditionally an outdoor tournament, this competition moved indoors this year and was played at the Soccer Shed in Ballyclare. This excellent indoor 3G facility played host to a wonderfully exciting tournament, with lots of goals and a really close finish.

Due to the withdrawal of 1 team at the last minute, the competition only had 7 teams so a straight league was played, with everyone playing everyone else. This gave every team 6 matches of 10 minutes each.

In the early stages of the competition, 8th Carrick looked the team to beat as they won their first three games, scoring 15 goals in the process. Stuart Carlisle was excellent in midfield, Kris Dines dominated at the back and Will Aston look unbeatable in goals. It was not clear were their threat was going to come from as 1st Greenisland/4th Carrick, 1st Ballyclare, 5th Carrick and 7th Carrick all dropped early points.

1st Ballylinney were making good progress early on with Scott Gault and Kyle Higginson their standout players. An excellent 4-3 win against a strong 5th Carrick team in their second game was possibly their best performance but the 7-7 draw with 7th Carrick was definitely the game of the tournament. 1st Ballylinney finished on 8 points, a very credible fourth place.

3rd Larne were in the unfortunate position of only having 6 boys for the competition. Although they battled hard, tired legs in the end made their task an impossible one and they succumbed to 6 defeats. Never once did their heads drop as they played top the last, a real credit to their company.

Although 1st Greenisland/4th Carrick and 7th Carrick both showed flashes of brilliance, neither side had the consistency to really threaten for the top prize. 1st Greenisland/4th Carrick's best win was against 1st Ballyclare, a very comprehensive 2-0 thrashing. An early win against 1st Greenisland/4th Carrick was the best result for 7th, Curtis Bell looking particularly good in that game.

The real threat to 8th Carrick came from 1st Ballyclare and 5th Carrick. 1st Ballyclare had a slow start, never really looking great with four points from three games but a tremendous 4-2 win against 8th Carrick in match four really brought the competition to life. 1st Ballyclare were superb in this game, playing super football and proving clinical with their finishing. The dominance of Curtis Gilmore in midfield and the prowess of Lee Apsley up front tore 8th Carrick apart.

In what proved to be a decisive match, 8th Carrick and 5th Carrick could only manage a 1-1 draw, although it was a superb game, nailbiting to the finish. An 8th Carrick win would have given them the competition, a 5th Carrick win would have given them the competition. A draw meant a victory by 1st Ballyclare in their final game against 1st Ballylinney would have been enough to win them the competition.

1st Ballyclare did not buckle under the pressure and secured a clinical 4-1 victory. This was 1st Ballyclare's first trophy of the season and a great boost ahead of an Irish Final Junior 5 a Side in March.

Well done to all the boys who took part and thank you to the officers for your support. Thanks also to Donald Blair, Ross Megarry, Eric Chalmers, Ricky Pollock and Kenny Cameron for refereeing throughout the afternoon.